Illegal home conversions occur when a property owner subdivides a single- or two-family home into multiple units — in some cases as a single room — and rents them out to tenants.

“Tenants have every right to know if the apartment they are renting is legal, and property owners are now required to disclose that information,” said state Sen. Marty Golden. “Illegal modifications to our housing stock are endangering residents, first responders, and are causing our quality of life to diminish.”

The new law is another step forward in helping to crack down on illegal home conversions. It requires a property owner to provide notice to tenants of a residential lease and as to whether a certificate of occupancy is currently valid. This will help protect some tenants who may assume an apartment for rent is safe and up to code when that is not necessarily the case.

This legislation follows the Aggravated Illegal Conversion Bill that was put in place last May. That bill was sponsored by City Councilmember Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) and signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The Aggravated Illegal Conversion Bill added increased penalties to landlords who illegally converted their buildings by fining them $15,000 per three or more units above the legally allowed number.

Harris has long advocated for the new bill to be passed. “Illegal conversions to apartments have posed a major risk for families throughout Brooklyn and across this city,” Harris said.

“No family should be forced to live in unsafe, cramped conditions all so that landlords can make more money,” she added. “I’ve been fighting to crack down on this illegal practice since I was elected to the Assembly and I am so proud to see this bill signed into law.”

The law takes effect immediately and applies to all residential leases submitted on and after that date.

December 7, 2017 - 1:20pm

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Residents who suspect that a private home on their street is being illegally converted into a multiunit apartment house have reason to hope that the city can step in and stop it now that Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed a bill into law aimed at cracking down on sneaky landlords. … Full Article